Friday Flush -- You ARE the school.

We have just received our “Parent and Staff Surveys,” and all in all it proves that the hard work you are doing is being seen at home.  Love getting to read the positive comments about you and your work ethic.  There are things we can improve on as well, and we will be discussing those in “chunks” during faculty meetings.

I think the biggest “eye opener” from that experience is how much the teacher is the entire representation of the school to most parents.  If you have an amazing teacher, the school is amazing….if you have a less than stellar teacher, the school is less than stellar in their mind.  Nothing matters in this school compared to your ability to influence the perceptions and the reality of parents.  What you do and what you say truly matters.  Parents see the way you love on their kids, your work ethic, your professionalism, your consistency, and your drive for excellence.  They are comforted by those.  If they don’t have that in their classes, they assume the entire school doesn’t value it either. 

Below is an article from the UK.  It can be found at http://www.parentdish.co.uk/back-to-school/what-parents-want-to-say-to-teachers/  It seems parents are the same on both “sides of the pond”

I can see our parents saying many of these things as well.  This Friday take a moment to see what improvements you can make in creating a more positive light for parents/community.  It truly matters…thanks for all you do and Happy Friday!

Recently, we asked teachers what they'd like to say to parents. Now we've turned the tables and parents have had their turn! And before the teachers among you get riled, we know you aren't all guilty of this sort of thing...

Here's what parents said...

ABOUT COMMUNICATION

"It's my daughter who is the four-year-old, so feel free to revert to your normal voice when talking to me!"

"The person before you may look like a deranged crazy woman with toast crumbs and jam in her hair, but she was actually quite an articulate, composed, responsible woman once. And still can be, occasionally. So please talk to her with at least an ounce of respect for the ghost of her former magnificent, non-paranoid and totally un-pushy self. Thank you."

"At the start of the year, please do send basic information we might find useful and ideally, invite all the parents in for a session to meet you and find out what our children might learn, so we can help them at home. I know a lot of you do this but not all and it's so helpful. It probably makes your life easier too as we won't have to all ask questions individually."

"Please don't rely on our children to tell us important information. Most come out of the school gate in a zombie-like state. If you ask what they did, they mutter 'nothing', who they played with 'no-one', anything else 'dunno'."

"Frankly if a parent comes to see you they're probably bricking it and may have been worrying themselves silly and working up the guts to raise the issue for months. Don't be defensive or assume you're being attacked - a parent who cares enough about their kid's school experience to come and see you is surely the kind of parent the world needs, so give them the benefit of the doubt."

"We DO know our children, probably better than you do, so maybe they really are being bullied and you're not seeing it, or perhaps they actually could cope with a more challenging reading book. Do us the same courtesy we do you - trust us and our judgments about our children as much as we trust you."

"If you don't share basic information with us about what and how you're teaching our children, we are much more likely to gossip about it and maybe about YOU in the playground at picking up time!"

"I know it's hard to remember every parents' name but if you were the teacher in my son's class last year, please stop calling me just 'Mummy' when you are talking to me. It makes me cringe every time!"

"Please give me more than a day's notice to organise a packed lunch/costume for the school play. I have other things to do and would rather not have to stay up until midnight sewing sequins onto something."

SCHOOL REPORTS

"Would you be able to write about a child I vaguely recognise on their school report and avoid those meaningless 'statement bank' lines? If you've taught them for a year, surely you can say something more personalised? I know it's a lot of work to do 30 reports but it means a lot to us to find out how our children are really doing."

"We parents do swap notes about reports and if you write the same sort of thing on all of them we will find out!"

"I'd like real information rather than bland, always positive comments which don't mean anything. I want to know if my children are struggling/ doing well and such statements don't help me with this."

WE'RE NOT ALL PUSHY PARENTS!

"Please remember that children have their at-school persona, and their at-home persona. So don't automatically assume I'm being a deluded mum if I tell you that he reads every night/does multiplication/can do a cartwheel at home when he is inept/refuses to do this at school."

"If I ask you a question about my child, outside of parents' evening, it might not be because I'm pushy, obsessive or over-involved, so please don't make me feel I'm being a nuisance. I understand that giving me only two five minute chats a year at parents' evening is a school rule, not your decision and that you're busy but sometimes it's not enough to let me keep in touch with my child's school life."

HOMEWORK

"I know that homework isn't rated that highly by some teachers, but it is by most parents. Please do take homework out of the bags each week, and mark it. Whether it is the teacher or the TA it doesn't matter. It is particularly crushing for children to find that there's nothing - not even a tick to say you've seen their hard work."

"While I do realise you've higher priorities, it'd be great if you didn't just hand out photocopied worksheets, or at least not every time. Printing out a more personalised sheet that says something like 'this week we've been working on subtraction, and this week's homework ...' really makes us feel we're finding out a bit more about their week and what they're doing, and helps us feel involved too."

AND FINALLY

"We do appreciate what you do and that it's not easy. And most of us even realise that you don't stop working and go and put your feet up at 3pm every day! So thank you."

Monday Mush -- Pat on the Back

Now don’t go running to your boxes…I didn’t get one of these for everyone!  But, I thought it was funny about all of our views on positive reinforcement.  All too often, we assume people will motivate themselves.  I am guilty of this assumption as well, but I think it becomes increasingly more dangerous with kids.  We often talk about how kids SHOULD be intrinsically motivated or kids SHOULD be able to this or that or how kids SHOULD do what we say because we said it.  But a world of “shoulds”  can be a dangerous place.  I mean my house SHOULD be made of doughnuts and my car SHOULD get 400 miles to the gallon.  But, those SHOULDS are about as likely as the ones we have about kids sometimes.

So, what do we do when kids don’t do what they should….  This is a great reminder this time of year, in my opinion.  We can’t punish them enough to make them start taking ownership.  Punitive punishments don’t work.  Prisons don’t stop crime any more than writing lines causes well-mannered children.  Punitive is necessary for several factors, but it is misplaced when we assume it will “fix kids.”  This is an easy trap to fall into as educators as well as parents. 

My daughter had a very hard time remember to shut her closet door.  I mean every time I went in, it was open.  This was a problem because she has a “Jack and Jill” and the bathroom door would always whack her open closet door.  So, I started with reason.  “Honey, the door needs to be shut because it will get scratched by the other door…”  Ok, that didn’t work.  “I have asked you to close that door every time you are in there, don’t you listen to me???”  Ok, that didn’t work.  Hmmm. Ok time for the big guns.  “Every time I see that door open, I get a quarter, and if that doesn’t work after a week, we go up to a dollar!”  By the second day, she was out $3.75.  I have spoken on the matter, I know what she SHOULD be motivated to do, and I have now even use punitive measures.  Right now, I might could have won by using my “size advantage,” but it still would have had to be done every time I wanted that door shut.  Ok, so what happened next surprised me, and I should know about this positive stuff.  I saw it closed one day.  I told her she earned a quarter.  She smiled.  End of story.  She closes the door now.  All in all she is down $3.50, and the problem was solved with a quarter.  She doesn’t even need more quarters.  Just the one affirmation. 

So, how does that work with students…no you can’t bribe them with quarters.  But, you can find their “currency.”  You can find something they want to earn or be rewarded with and leverage that.  Use that as a motivator for them.  We have to get passed the notion of what they should be doing or why it isn’t fair to reward a behavior they should already be doing, and we have to do what gets the results and creates that intrinsic desire that we so badly want.

I know it is a silly example, but I wanted everyone to see the importance of positive reinforcements.  They work.  But, even if it flops, why not start there first.  Why not give the positive out as a means first, so everyone feels better.  It sure is simpler sometimes.

I appreciate all you do to reward and motivate kids.  You guys are amazing! 

Give yourself a pat on the back…..Happy Monday!

Friday Flush -- Happiness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM&feature=youtu.be (4:08)

The above song was from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack, and it is a lot of fun to watch.  Thank you, Patsy for sharing. 

Made me think of so many quotes on “happiness.”  So I thought today would be a conglomeration of happiness.   

(Off the subject, this song would be an amazing LipDub.  While this is a crazy time of year, it would be so fun to have one.  So, I am game as a staff, if yall want to make one, maybe your grade level wants to make one, or maybe just your class….let me know, and I will help!)

I hope this weekend is a time of great happiness for you.  Think of some things that bring your happiness…think of ways to bring happiness to others.  Where are you missing happiness in your life?  What steps can you take to fix that?  What quote speaks to you most and why?

“Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect.  It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.”

“Don’t be fooled by your emptiness…there’s so much room for happiness”

“Nobody can take away your pain, so don’t let anyone take away your happiness either”

“Happiness is a journey…not a destination”

“Happiness is a direction…not a place”

“For every minute you are angry, you lose 60 seconds of happiness”

“Don’t worry, be happy”

“If you want to live a ‘happy life,’ tie it to a goal, not to people or things”

“Happiness often sneaks in a door that we didn’t even know was open.”

“Success is getting what you want.  Happiness is liking what you get.”

“Some people pursue happiness….others create it!”

“Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy donuts. And that’s basically the same thing”

Happy Friday!

Monday Mush--Pilot lights

It isn’t a great picture, but do you know what that is?  Yes, it is a flame…but where and what type?  (And, no, you don’t get a jeans pass for knowing the right answer!)

We are going to have a little Science lesson for our “Monday Mush” this week.   That is a picture of a pilot light under a hot-water heater.  That small flame basically dictates whether your home has hot water for the shower, laundry, sinks, and dishwasher.  Has your pilot light at your house every gone out?  Maybe one night you notice the water isn’t seeming as hot as usual, but you aren’t sure why.  By the morning, it is cold showers for everyone.  It is a rapid decline from hot water to cold water that no one wants to shower in. 

So your hot-water heater works like this.  That pilot light flame stays on 100% of the time.  It doesn’t use much gas to keep it burning, so it just stays “ready.”  When the water in your tank gets colder than your setting allows, that light is used to light a burner underneath the tank.  That burner is basically like a stove burner, and it stays on until the water in the tank is hot again.  It uses more gas obviously because of more intense flames.  But, it shuts off again when the water is hot.   So the burner isn’t on full blast on the time…just when needed.

The thing that we need, enjoy, and notice when missing is the hot water in our house.  But, it isn’t a problem with the water, the fixtures,  the piping, the house, or the water heater itself.  It is that small pilot light that is to blame.  If it is out, the entire system can’t work. 

So now you have 3 choices:

1.       Endure the cold water.  Maybe you don’t know how to light it…maybe you are out of matches…maybe you are just not feeling like crawling up in the attic.  But, you can chose to just get by…

2.       Light the pilot.  You can find some matches, crawl up in the attic, and light it back.  In a few hours all is right with the world again.  Maybe this takes a repairman or a friend/dad/neighbor, but it can still be lit again.

3.       You can move.  This is laughable…absurd even.  I mean it is just a pilot light…but I guess it is an open on the table.

So, you are probably several steps ahead of me by now. 

We all do so many things in a day.  We offer a lot of hope, joy, and knowledge to kids.  We give in lots of directions and it is seen in so many different ways.  So we go full blast when needed, and we rest when we can.  But, there has to be a constant…there has to be a light that is also on and ready.  I truly think we all have our own pilot light.  We have that reason that we do what we do.  We have a small burning light that is always ready to light up “the big burner” when we have something big to do.  We don’t see the light…we see the product from it, but it is there.  And, it is important.

What drives you?  What passion do you have that gets you up in the morning?  I hope this week, you can see the importance of looking at the basics…looking at why you do what you do.

So, what happens when that light goes out?  It can and does.  Well at first maybe things just don’t seem quite right, but if it stays out for long, we can really see and feel it.  Everything is uncomfortable, and things don’t seem to work right. 

So now you have 3 choices:

1.        Endure life without pilot.  Maybe you don’t know how to light it….maybe you are out of ways to light it….maybe you are not feeling like working at it….  But, you can chose to just get by….

2.       Light the pilot.  You can find some motivation that enables you to light it back.  In a short time, things can look very different.  This may take bringing in others to help. 

3.       You can move.  This is laughable…absurd even.  But sometimes we chose to find somewhere else to be to have a new pilot light.

Too often in life we choose #3.  I mean it is just a pilot light, right?  We need to look for ways to find that passion and motivation again.  Losing the pilot light is ok…it doesn’t mean there is something wrong with your house nor would it mean there is something wrong with you. 

I hope this week is a week that we see behind the big picture, and we look at the basics.  We look at that small flame we need burning. 

Thanks for all you do! 

Happy Monday!

Friday Flush

I think we can all connect with this quote.  I think that there is something in all of us that grieves something or someone.  I think there are times when we messed up and we lost something good in our lives.  Maybe we damaged a friendship….maybe we made a bad investment….maybe we chose the wrong car to drive.  All of those things can cause us to lose something. 

Sometimes by no fault of our own, we have lost something precious to us.  There is a true need as humans that we have to grieve…we have to adequately “let go.”  But, there does come a point where we have to look at what is around us.  We have to be thankful for what we do have.  We have to accept that what is behind us is behind us. 

I have used the car analogy a few times, but there is reason that the windshield of your car is big and the rearview mirror is so small.  It is much more important when driving to see what is coming than it is to see what is behind.  But in that analogy, I forgot to mention that it could be argued that the most important thing is where you are now and who is in the car with you.

We need to learn from the past….we need to gain lessons and delight in memories from what is behind us.   We need to strive for more in the future…to be better and stronger.  We need to have a plan to get there.  But, we can’t forget to enjoy the ride and enjoy the company.

Many of our grandparents and parents told us “Where ever you are, be there.”  It is simple but profound. 

I hope this weekend, you can find a way to learn from the quote…I hope we can all look forward with anticipation what is coming.  I am excited for what the future holds…I am glad to have all of you in the car with me too!

Happy Friday!

Monday Mush -- Food for Thought

I think this is a great way to kick-off a week.  Looking at what we can do differently.

Usually in life, I am a “rut guy.”  I love planning what things are going to look like, doing things the same, and ordering the same things at restaurants.  I know I am kind of boring.  But I like the known factor in things.  I know if I go to Willies that I will leave happy I ordered the Chicken Fried Steak, I know at Chuys it will be the Chuychanga, and I know at Cracker Barrel it is Grandpa’s Old Fashioned Breakfast.  They all have a full menu…people don’t all order what I order and they look happy too. 

So, why don’t I try the hamburger…. The Green Chile Hatch Enchiladas… or pancakes?   This seems like a very silly question, but I think the root of it is really the same as why we don’t change our tactics in the workplace.  We feel comfortable with the known variable.  How disappointing would it be to venture out to try something new and wish that I had just ordered what I always did.  So, I am ok with it not being “the best” because it is pretty good and it makes me happy. 

But what if there is something better?  What if we miss out for years on the Cheesewillie or the Big As Your Face Burrito or the Egg in a Basket.  (Yes, I eat out way too much).  There is a way to make small changes to test them out.   We need to be willing to go for the best thing possible by taking calculated risks.  If I go to a restaurant that everyone tells me has an amazing entrée, my %age chance of liking it is pretty strong.  I could split it with someone to make sure I still had some of my “fallback” too. 

The same in the classroom….if you hear about something working well in other rooms…it has a good chance of working.  Maybe you could “split” the strategy to sill have your fallback if you need it.

Bad pun coming…that is all just food for thought…happy Monday!

Friday Flush -- what are you proud of?

What are you proud of?

That seems like a pretty simple question, but have you ever REALLY thought about it.  I was challenged recently to get out a piece of paper and think of one area of my life.  Like being a dad…my job….or friendship.  Then, take a piece of paper and write down 3 things that I am proud  of about that aspect of my life.  It causes focus and appreciation for some things going well.  It shows strengths that I can build upon, and it shows me areas that I may be an example for others.  It gives me gratitude for some of the things that are going well.  But deeper than that, think about why.  Are the things you are proud of things that happened by chance?  If not, what did you intentionally do to make them happen?  How could you replicate that in other areas?  What caused you to be intentional for that particular goal?  If we can see what we did to get a result we are proud of, we can focus on recreating that much easier.

There is a flipside as well.  In that same area of your life ask yourself “what am I not proud of?”  Sometimes this list flows easier and sometimes harder.  For me, It is usually hard to limit just 3.  But whittle the list down to 3.  What are you not proud of and why?  Is there anything you can do to “fix” a situation or event, if you haven’t already?  Is there a skill/training that you need to make you feel more confident?  Is there a way to try to limit those actions and feelings to make you more proud.  Can you replace any action/attitude/event with something that you identified above to now make you more proud.

We all have aspects in life that we are good at…we have aspects where we need to grow.  Often times, we try to look for the good in ourselves and point out the faults we see in others.  This is dangerous for countless reasons, but I truly think we do it to hide things that we aren’t proud of.  So, I encourage you to not sweep those under the rug…look into what you can learn from them.  Don’t bring someone else down to try to make yourself more “proud.”  It doesn’t really work. 

You are an amazing bunch of educators, and you work so hard every day.  I look forward to all the successes you will accomplish this year…and for what it is worth, I am proud of you!

Happy Friday!

Monday Mush -- There is no time!

“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” – John Wooden

The number one complaint that I hear is – We don’t have enough time!  When would I have time for that?  I like the idea/strategy, but there is no time to do it!  Can we have more planning time?  We need time without the kids to get ready?  There is just not enough time in the day!

There are about 1.3 billion variations on that complaint.  We hear it everywhere…  “How are you doing?”  “Oh, good, just so busy there is just no time” …. “Where did the time go?” …. “I need more hours in the day!”

So, we get lost in the cycle of rushing through things because we need to…we need to make up time…we need to gain back time…we need to increase our urgency.  But, when we rush, we never do the job as well.  I would venture to say we don’t do the job right.  How many times have we lectured our kids about a project or assignment that they have to redo.  “If you would have just done it right the first time, you wouldn’t have to waste your time now fixing it or doing it again.”

Do we take that advice?  Do we slow down enough to do it right the first time.  To give 100%, so that we don’t have to fix it later.  If we burn through something teaching-wise or planning-wise, we may feel that we got it done fast to gain time.  But, what happens when the lesson didn’t go quite right, or some learners didn’t quite understand.  We have to re-teach, re-plan, and redo. 

I would bet that we always save time by slowing down and giving 100%.  By making sure you dedicate yourself to the task.  If you aren’t dedicated to doing it, then maybe it isn’t worth doing. 

This week I was hanging some hooks for my wife’s necklaces in the closet.  I had to screw so hooks into the wood of some shelves.  I knew the right way was to drill a pilot hole, and then they would screw it easy.  It would be the right way.  But I was in the closet, and the drill was packed in the garage.  It would take too much time to find the drill and the bits, right?  So, I spent 5 minutes on the first hook…trying to get it started in the wood while grabbing that stupid sharp hook.  Ok, fine, I need to find the drill…3 minutes of looking…2 minutes of getting the bits and walk time to the garage.  14 more installed in 3 minutes.  So not taking the time to get set up the right way would have been 75 minutes worth of work….taking the time to prep took 8 minutes total.  Planning time matters…doing the job the right way matters…having the right tools for the right job matters.

You are great a what you do…I wish I had a time machine…one that creates time, not one to time travel…I appreciate how hard you work.  I hope this week, we can focus on how to do it right the first time to save time in the end. 

Happy Monday!